Sunday, October 01, 2017

On Friday 22nd September, I finished up my 6 week
creative writing programme with Featherston School as part of the Wairarapa Project. Hopefully some of the kids I spent time with are writing
stories with good beginnings, interesting middles and fine endings with a host
of interesting characters.

My own interesting character, graced the stage at the World of WearableArts Award show that very night. I had on some shiny silver shoes
with no particular expectation of doing anything but dancing in them at the
after party. So, when my name was called as the first place winner in the Weta
Workshop Other Worlds Section, I nearly fell off them. I did in fact scream.

Contrary to popular belief, I have never won a section at
WOW in all the 22 years I have competed. I’ve had a couple of seconds and
thirds over my 24 finalist garments and I was pretty over the moon about those.
But this year, well, WOW! I went on
stage to get my trophy and hug Richard Taylor. I may have left mascara stains
on his lapel; him being very tall and me being very short, and, well, I was
crying at the time.

me, stunned with a trophy

In addition to the first trophy I have ever had in my life
(including school), I won a money prize and am still deciding what I should
buy. I’m thinking, because my old Samsung tablet is dying and my laptop kicked
the bucket years ago, that to be more portable I might get a Microsoft SurfacePro. I may be a creative but that does not mean I am an Apple gal. Macs and me
only get a long if that is the lipstick brand. Of course if anyone with any influence
is reading this, I am happy to be given these products to unbox, use and social
media about. Isn’t that what happens when you finally get famous? You get given
everything you couldn’t afford before? :D

The other part of my prize is to be flown to Weta Workshop to
complete a 4 week internship. It’ll be a very short flight on the Flyer bus, as
I live 5 minutes away as the crow flies. I’m very much looking forward to
spending time there and having a go at a variety of disciplines!

My garment, The Organ Farmer was modelled just superbly on
the WOW stage and I couldn’t have been happier. My rationale for this fairly
nightmarish piece (I didn’t show the pics to my mum in case she thought I’d
lost my mind) is as follows in this article and video clip on Stuff.

Cybernetic regeneration of vital tissues

In 3446 the
Cyborgs come to a realisation that humanity might have a purpose. Their
experimentation however, produces unexpected results. In a heartbeat, this
lowly host experiences strange new feelings previously unknown, opening up a
world of sensation as the fleshy graft takes hold.

Photos of my final piece by Werner Kaffl who was an absolute pleasure to work with.

The organ Farmer. Photos by Werner Kaffl

I finished up the amazing week that was, by flying to
Queenstown, and doing a week long tour of Southland schools with Storylines,
along with Des Hunt, Scott Tulloch and Barbara Else. We visited and talked to 3
schools at day for 5 days from Queenstown to Invercargill. The weather was
awesome, the kids bright eyed and bushy tailed and we had a wonderful time
passing on what it is to be writers and illustrators, and in my case a costume
designer too.

looking at Torty and the Soldier

I round off the next week with a free wearable art workshop at Te Papa on Wednesday for kids, and the Storylines National Children’s
Writers and Illustrators Hui where I’m presenting a workshop on presenting.
It’s what I love, and find fun but others find terrifying. I will help people
get over their fear. After that, I can collapse. Oh hang on…I have a giant owl
to paint for The Big Hoot!